Razor blade dispenser



June 9, 1953 D. c. SANTO RAZOR BLADE DISPENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledMarch 14, 1950 INVENTOR. Domlmck C.Sc|nto ATTORNEY June 9, 1953 D. c.SANTO RAZOR BLADE DISPENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 14, 1950INVENTOR. Domln lCk C. Sa'mo ATTORNEY Patented June 9, 1953 UNITEDSTATES EPATENT OFFICE RAZOR BLADE DISPENSER setts Application March14,1950, Serial No. 149,692

Claims.

My present invention relates to dispensers, and more particularly to anovel razor blade dispenser.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a razorblade dispenser having a compartment for the insertion of the usedblades.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a razor bladedispenser into which the used blades can be placed without the danger ofhaving them fall or shake out of the dispenser.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a razor bladedispenser into which the used blades can be readily inserted withoutinterference from blades already positioned in the dis penser.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a razor bladedispenser which will hold a number of used blades equal to the number ofnew blades taken from the dispenser.

A further object .of the present invention is to provide a razor bladedispenser having a compartment for used blades which is simple inconstruction and which requires very little alteration of existing typesof razor blade dispensers.

.With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, myinvention consists of a novel arrangement of parts more fully disclosedin the detailed description following, in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings and more particularly defined in the appendedclaims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a razor blade dispenser embodyin myinvention.

Fig. 2 is a rear view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of- Fig. 2, showing a used bladebeing inserted in the di s penser.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, with the used blade entirely withinthe dispenser.

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-4) of Pig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the rear wall of the dispenser.

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of the spring.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a modified form of my invention.

Fig. ,9 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 10 is a section taken on line I.iliB on Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a section taken on line- .H.-.-ll on Fig. 10, and

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the slide member.

Most razor blades are now conventionally sold in .so-called dispensers.These dispensers vary 2 with the different blade manufacturers and alsovary slightly with the single edge and double edge blades. However, thebasic principle in all of the dispensers is the same.

A rectangular housing is provided into which a quantity; usually It,razor blades are loaded. A spring is inserted between the bottom of thehousing and the lowermost blade to push the blades resiliently upwardlytowards the top. One end of the housing is provided with a slot adjacentthe top. Means is then provided for pushin the topmost blade out throughthe slot. In some dispensers, a slide which engages the edge of theblade is used. In others, the top is cut away to permit the user toengage the blade with his thumb and push it out of the slot.

The present invention provides an improvement on the above dispensers bypermitting the used blade taken from the razor to be inserted into thedispenser so that it cannot be removed from andwill not fall out of thedispenser. As each new blade is removed from the dispenser, the usedblade taken from the razor is inserted therein until finally the ten newblades have been removed from the dispenser and are replaced by ten usedblades. The dispenser can then be safely thrown away. into the Waste canwithout danger of cutting.

The construction and operation of the dispenser hereinafter describedwill readily apply to either a single .or double edge blade. Forpurposes of illustration only, the dispenser has been shown with adouble edge blade.

Referring more in detail to the drawings illustrating my invention, andparticularly Figs. 1.-'7 thereof, my dispenser comprises a rectangularhousing '20, having a top 2|, bottom 22, sides 23 and '26, front end 25and rear end 26. The dispenser 20 may be made of any suitable materialsuch as metal or plastic. The top 2 I may be provided with a slot 2?;extending from the rear edge thereof forwardly of the front end, asshown in Fig. l. A slide member 28 is slidable in the slot 21. Themember 28 is provided with a finger engageable portion 29 extendingabove the surface of the dispenser, a narrow portion extending throughthe slot and a wider portion 313 slidable within-the dispenser. Theportion 3% is provided at the rear edge thereof with an integraldepending portion 3i. Where single edge blades are used, such as theblades 32, the top H is also provided with an integral depending rib 33,Fig. 5, which extends parallel tothe thick end of, the blade. The thinportions of the blade bear against this rib '33 toretain the top bladeat proper horizontal level. Where single edge blades are used, theseblades are normally provided with side indentations 34 at each side edgefor clamping into the razor. These indentations may, be used as guidesto keep the blades in proper alignment in the dispenser. The front wall25 of the dispenser may, therefore, be provided with an integralvertical rib 35 which will extend into the indentations 34 and serve toretain the blades in alignment.

To make sure that the used blades inserted into the dispenser arealigned with the rib 35, the side walls 23 and 24 are provided withthickened wall portions 36 and 31 to restrict the interior of thedispenser especially at the point where the used blades are inserted.The bottom wall 22 of the dispenser is provided with a double thickness38 extending from the rear thereof to just short of the center of thedispenser as shown in Fig. 4, the double thickness 38 terminating in anabrupt shoulder to a single thickness portion. The rear wall 26 of thedispenser, Fig. 6, may be provided with upper and lower tongue portionsblades in alignment. The lower inner right edge, Fig. 6, of the rearWall 26 is provided with a double thickness 4| for a purpose hereinafterto be described. The rear wall 26 is provided with the slot 42, Fig. 2,for the insertion of used blades adjacent the bottom edge thereof, theleft end of the slot, as shown in Fig. 2, being wider to accommodate thethick edge of the single edge blades 32. The thickened wall portion 4|of the wall 26 is just above the widened portion of the slot. The sidewall 23 and the bottom wall 22 are partially cut away, as shown in Fig.1, so that the wider portion of the slot 42 is extended partiallyrearwardly to permit manual communication with the interior of thedispenser.

The blades are retained in proper relationship in the dispenser by thespring 43, shown in Fig. 7

The spring 43 comprises a unitary integral leaf folded sharply at 44 toform a close U-bend, the lower arm 45 having a slight upward and thendownward curvature and terminating in an upwardly extending end 46. Theupper arm 4'! is slightly shorter than the lower arm and is alsoslightly curved, terminating in a slightly downwardly extending end 48.The spring is inserted in the receptacle 20 with the free arms facingthe front wall and the U-bend 44 extending rearwardly. The spring ispositioned adjacent the wall 23 and beneath the slide portion 28.

As shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, the dispenser is loaded with ten newblades, so that the thick ends of the blades are under the slot 2'! inthe top 2|. The spring 43 is then slipped into its proper positionbeneath the blades, the bend 48 bearing against the blades and pushingthem upwardly. As the slide 28 is pulled rearwardly, the portion 3| willengage the rear edge of each .blade and forward movement of the slide 28will and pushed manually inwardly until. it is within the confines ofthe dispenser. By applying the thumb to the cut away portion of thedispenser shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the used blade can be moved furtherwithin the dispenser until its rear end clears the thickened portion 4|on the rear wall 26. At this point, the lower arm 45 will pressdownwardly on the inner end of the used blade and push it against thethin portion of the bottom wall 22, as shown in Fig. 4. A rocking actionis created by the spring and the used blade assuming the angularposition shown in Fig. 4, with the forward end of the blade resting onthe thin portion of the bottom wall and the rear end of the blade beingheld upwardly by the shoulder formed by the thick portion of the wall38. In this position, the rear edge of the used blade faces thethickened portion 4| of the rear wall and does not face the slot 42. Ittherefore cannot be removed from the dispenser nor can it be shaken outof the dispenser. Furthermore, the raised position of the rear of theused blade clears the slot 42 for the insertion of the next used bladebeneath it, as shown-in Fig. 3. As this action is repeated, the springwill always be at its maximum tension, since the dispenser will alwayscontain ten blades, either new or used. When the last new blade has beenremoved, the dispenser can be safely thrown away without danger of theused blades therein cutting anyone.

If desired; the dispenser may be constructed as shown in Figs. 8-12,inclusive. This form of the invention is designed to avoid the danger ofcutting in the handling of a single edge blade. The dispenser 49comprises a generally rectangular housing similar in shape to thedispenser 20. It has a top 53, sides 5| and 52, front end 53, rear end54 and a bottom 55. The interior construction of the dispenser 49 isidentical to that of the dispenser 20. The bottom 55 is provided with athickened portion 56 for supplying the rocking movement to the usedblades, and the rear wall 54 is constructed with the thickened portion51 similar to the dispenser 20. The slot and cut away portion 58 is alsothe same. The spring 59 is identical to the one used in the dispenser20. The sole diiference between the two dispensers is in the removal ofthe new blades.

'The guide ribs 50 and 6| in the front and rear Walls do not extendcompletely "to the top of the dispenser so that the top blade is alwaysfree of the guide ribs. The removal slot 62 is in the side of thedispenser 5| and the slide 63, Fig. 12, is slidable within a slot 64extending transversely across the top 5d of the dispenser 49 as shown inFigs. 8 and 9. The slide 63 is provided at its lower end with therectangular portion to engage the new blades. In inserting the slide 63in a unitary construction, the rear end of the slot 64 may be slightlyrestricted, as at 66, so that the slide may be forced into the slot andwill be retained within the slot against accidental removal.

As can be seen in Fig. 10, the portion 65 on the slide 63 will engagethe thickened edge of the topmost new blade and forward movement of theslide will push the thickened portion of the blade out of the slot asshown in Fig. 9. The user can then safely grasp this portion of theblade and pull it out of the dispenser. The insertion of used blades isaccomplished from the rear end exactly as in the dispenser 20hereinabove described and the spring action in retaining the used bladeswithin the dispenser will be the same. This form of,.the dispenser isadaptable for single .edge blades 5 only, whereas the dispenSer'ZO ma-ybe applied to either single or double edge blades.

The dispensers hereinabove described are simple in construction and easyand economical to manufacture and assemble. It can readily be seen thatthey can be manufactured at only a slight additional cost over and abovethe present type of conventional dispensers. Other advantages' will bereadily apparent to a person skilled in the art.

While I have described certain specific embodiments of my invention, itis obvious that changes may readily be made in the size, shape, orrelative arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A razor blade dispenser for a rigid nonflexible razor bladecomprising a generally rectangular container having a top, a bottom, andside, front and rear walls, a dispensing slot in one wall adjacent thetop of the container, a used blade receiving slot in the rear walladjacent the bottom of the container, said slot being in alignment withthe front wall to permit a rigid razor blade to be inserted in parallelrelation to said bottom, spring means in said container for pushingsuccessive new blades toward the top of the container and for retainingused blades at the bottom of the container, means for slidably ejectingthe topmost new blade from said container through said dispensing slot,and means for permanently retaining used blades in said container afterthey have been inserted through the used blade receiving slot, saidretaining means comprising a raised portion extending upwardly from thebottom of the container and extending lengthwise from a point adjacentthe lower portion of said rear wall to a point intermediate the frontand rear walls, said raised portion supporting the used blades away fromthe bottom at one point and said spring means depressing said blades tothe bottom at a point intermediate the inner end of said raised portionand said front wall to cause an inclination of the used blades out ofalignment with the used blade receiving slot.

2. A razor blade dispenser for a rigid nonflexible razor bladecomprising a generally rectangular container having a top, a bottom, andside, front and rear walls, a dispensing slot in one wall adjacent thetop of the container, a used blade receiving slot in the rear walladjacent the bottom of the container, said slot being in alignment withthe front wall to permit a rigid razor blade to be inserted in parallelrelation to said bottom, spring means in said container for pushingsuccessive new blades toward the top of the container and for retainingused blades at the bottom of the container, means for slidably ejectingthe topmost new blade from said container through said dispensing slot,and means for permanently retaining used blades in said container afterthey have been inserted through the used blade receiving slot, saidretaining means comprising a raised portion extending upwardly from thebottom of the container and extending lengthwise from a point adjacentthe lower portion of said rear wall to a point intermediate the frontand rear walls, said raised portion supporting the used blades away fromthe bottom at one point and said spring means depressing said blades tothe bottom at a point intermediate the inner end of said raised portionand said front wall to cause an inclination of the used blades out ofalignment with: the used blade receiving used blade receiving slot inthe rear wall adjacent the bottom of the container, said slot being inalignment with the front wall to permit arigid razor blade to beinserted in parallel relation to saidbottom a generally U-shap'ed springin said container having spaced curved arms, the upper arm bearingagainst the new blades and the lower arm bearing against the usedblades, means for slidably ejecting the topmost new blade from saidcontainer through said dispensing slot, and means for permanentlyretaining used blades in said container after they have been insertedthrough said used blade receiving slot, said retaining means comprisinga raised portion extending upwardly from the bottom of the container andextending lengthwise from a point adjacent the lower portion of saidrear wall to a point intermediate the front and rear walls, said raisedportion supporting the used blades away from the bottom at one point andsaid lower spring arm depressing said blades to the bottom at a pointintermediate the inner end of said raised portion and said front wall tocause an inclination of the used blades out of alignment with the usedblade receiving slot.

4. A razor blade dispenser for a rigid nonfiexible razor bladecomprising a generally rectangular container having a top, a bottom, andside, front and rear walls, a dispensing slot in one wall adjacent thetop of the container, a used blade receiving slot in the rear walladjacent the bottom of the container, said slot being in alignment withthe front wall to permit a rigid razor blade to be inserted in parallelrelation to said bottom, a generally U-shaped spring in said containerhaving spaced curved arms the upper arm bearing against the new bladesand the lower-arm bearing against the used blades, means for slidablyejecting the topmost new blade from said container through saiddispensing slot, and means for permanently retaining used blades in saidcontainer after they have been inserted through said used bladereceiving slot, said retaining means comprising a thickened bottomportion extending from the rear wall to short of the center of thecontainer and terminating in an abrupt shoulder, said lower spring armbearing against said used blades at a point intermediate said abruptshoulder and said front wall to cause said blades to incline out ofalignment with the used blade receiving slot with the rear edges of saidblades extending above said slot.

5. A blade magazine comprising, a blade containing compartment having ablade-exit slot and a blade-entrance slot each formed in an end wall ofsaid compartment with said two slots communicating respectively with theupper and lower portions of said compartment, said bladeentrance slotbeing disposed in its associated end wall a slight distance above thebottom wall of said compartment, a raised portion extending upwardlyinto said compartment from the bottom wall and extending lengthwise ofsaid compartment from a point adjacent the lower wall portion of saidentrance slot inwardly to a point intermediate the compartment. endwalls and terminating in an abrupt, shoulder, a substantially U-shapedspring disposed within said compartment with its two limbs biased apartand extending away from the end wall having said entrance slot andsubstantially beyond said shoulder so that one of said limbs is normallyurged toward the top and the other limb toward the bottom of saidcompartment whereby used blades inserted through said entrance slot willbe inclined out of alignment with said slot, anda feed slot disposedlengthwise of the top wall of said compartment for ejecting new bladesfrom said upper portion through said blade-exit slot.

q References Citedin, the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSNumber DOMINICK C. SANTO. 15

Name Date Sterling June 9, 1914 Hechmer Dec. 4, 1923 Todd Feb. 10, 1931Chadwick May 9, 1933 Cook Nov. 14, 1933 Roberts June 23, 1942 BenjaminMar. 28, 1944 Colton et a1. Mar. 28, 1950

